Find a MSW Program

Some Money Smart Week Iowa programs take place statewide, so there are many locations hosting similar events. These include:

Essay contest for grades 7-11
The $1,000 first prize is sponsored by Iowa Bankers Association. Students submit an essay of 400 words or fewer to the state committee. The essay question and application can be found by clicking here. Essay finalists are announced just prior to Money Smart Week, and the winner reads his/her essay at one or more events during MSW.

Poster contest for 2nd-6th graders
The poster contest is sponsored by Community Bankers of Iowa (CBI) and open to students in second – sixth grade who design a poster describing the theme: Why is it important to know about money? Posters must be submitted to a participating bank by April 20, 2018, and the winners will be selected by May 15, 2018. First place will receive $600 Certificate of Deposit and second and third places will earn $300 Certificate of Deposit. (Local planning teams may also select a local winner (and offer a small prize) prior to sending all posters in for the statewide judging.) For more information about the poster contest, click here.

Money Smart Kids READ for 3rd-5th graders
This statewide program, sponsored by the Iowa Credit Union Foundation, invites grandparents and parents to bring their kids to select credit unions or libraries for a book reading and fun discussion on a money topic. Kids take home the book, one per family. It’s geared to students in 3rd to 5th grade.

GeoCache for College Cash – for college students
About 1,000 students played the GeoCache for College Cash game last year, and one student won $1,000 in college tuition, provided by Iowa JumpStart. To play, students find and read 7 posters, each discussing one personal finance topic. Using their mobile devices to scan QR codes, students left answers to seven quiz questions that every young adult should understand–car loans, college loans, cyber security, credit scores, paychecks, debit cards, and budgeting.

Scout Nights
Several communities host an event geared to achieving money management badges for scouting programs. Each community determines the age of scouts (girls and/or boys) to invite. Events are typically held at libraries, schools or community centers. MSW partners staff tables and teach about assigned topics. Scouts move to a new table every 15-20 minutes. Scout badges and/or certificates are provided to leaders to award later.

Great Piggy Bank Pageant – and contest on Pinterest
This two-part event is designed to promote saving, and it’s sponsored by Iowa JumpStart.
Part one: A MSW partner hosts an event to create and/or decorate piggy banks, and gives a short discussion on saving . Hosts can use cardboard piggy banks, or participants can create one from recycled materials. Part two: Piggy banks go on display at a pageant. The decorated piggy banks can be displayed at a venue such as a bank lobby or library – that’s a local pageant.
The Pinterest Pageant – Decorated piggy banks can be entered in the Pinterest contest, sponsored by Iowa JumpStart. For this pageant, take a photo of each piggy bank (bank only, no participants or identification) and upload it to the community Pinterest page. Iowa JumpStart awards a prize for: the decorated bank with the most likes, the piggy bank decorated most creatively, and the host site with the most decorated banks pinned.

Bike Bash
This statewide cycling event takes place on established bike trails and is sponsored by the MSW partner, the Iowa Insurance Division. The designated Money Smart Week planning teams choose a date for their local cycling event, offer financial information and resources, and provide t-shirts for up to 100 riders.

The Des Moines Bike Bash will take place on April 28, 2018, at 11 a.m. The ride will begin at Mullets downtown with three distances to choose from. Registered riders will also have the opportunity to learn financial information related to the cost of education at the Bike Bash.

Tele-Town Hall meeting
Iowa AARP will host a town hall-type meeting via phone. Attendees will hear financial tips from experts, followed by a Question & Answer session. While Iowans can listen via phone in their own home, they could also attend a locally hosted event with live streaming and a local Q&A session.)

“Set to Soar” Kite Fest
The Kite Fest is a two-part event, sponsored by Wells Fargo.
A) assemble a kite with a provided kit (indoor activity with supervision and a discussion on saving money and being resourceful.
B) gather outdoors to fly the kites. With the host’s direction, the kids (and parents) assemble their own kites. Having participants fly their kites is optional, and local hosts may offer prizes if they wish.

1. Know what you spend. Carry a small spiral notebook for a month and write down everything you buy with cash or debit cards. Other spending will show up in your checkbook register or credit card statement. 2. Spend less than you make. If you find that you spend more than you make, you will need to either make more or spend less. The option of using credit […]

Some people who have fluctuating monthly incomes find it difficult to know how to set up a monthly budget. Let me give you some advice on how that is done. It may be a bit more difficult to figure it out, but with a little planning and forethought it is certainly within your reach to do. Let’s break it down into three steps: Step 1. Determine how much money […]